Sticky Date Pudding

Try this fabulous recipe from the MESH cook book  - it’s the Essence girl’s favourite. Easy to make, especially in advance and looks and tastes divine.

Recipe: Charlotte Lisle     Photography: Steven Goodenough

 Sticky Date Pudding

 Ingredients

170g dates, pitted and chopped       300ml water

1 tsp baking soda                             60g butter

2/3 cup caster sugar                         2 eggs

½ tsp vanilla essence                       1 ¼ cups self-raising flour

 Butterscotch sauce

1 cup brown sugar                            ½ cup thick cream

103g butter                                        ½ tsp vanilla essence

 Method

Preheat oven to 160c

For the pudding, cover the dates with water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the baking soda, remove from the heat and set aside.

 Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla. Sift in the flour and add the mixture to the dates, stirring to combine all the ingredients. Bake in a greased square 18cm cake tin for 30-40 minutes or until cooked.

 Once the cake has been taken from the oven, pour 1/3 of the sauce over the top, then return to the oven for 3 minutes.

 Remove from the oven and serve with the remaining sauce.

 For the butterscotch sauce, place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

 Cooks Note: The pudding can be made in advance and reheated in oven without drying out. Serve the remaining sauce in a jug. You can also make little puddings in individual ramekins and turn them out onto serving plates. This is a great with vanilla bean ice cream or a dollop of fresh cream.

 The collection of recipes in the fundraising cook book come from the families and friends of Medbury & Selwyn House schools.

The book can be purchased by emailing  – emails.connolly@selhouse.school.nz

Or call into either school office.